Hansi Flick hits one hundred in style
Hansi Flick celebrated his 100th game in charge of Barcelona against Villarreal and saw his players do him proud. The Catalan giants ran out 4-1 winners, with Lamine Yamal putting the icing on the cake with a brilliant hat-trick.
The German coach has enjoyed himself in his first century at Barcelona, winning every title on offer – bar the Champions League – and winning 75 of those 100 games. Only Luis Enrique has a better record than Flick at this stage of his Barcelona career.
“Of course we can do better… but I really liked what I saw today,” he said after the match. “We played great. Tuesday will be a different match, but we’ll have to play at this level. We pressed very well and very quickly. We won our duels. I really liked what I saw.”
The Catalans certainly put in a good showing against the third best team in La Liga with a result that extends their lead at the top of the table ahead of Real Madrid’s next game.
Flick was also able to rest some players ahead of the Atletico clash, while the sight of Pedri coming on and instantly taking control of proceedings was another welcome sight on a special day for the boss.
Lamine Yamal’s hat-trick – the first of many?
Saturday was also a memorable day for Lamine Yamal as the Barcelona star scored his first hat-trick with three excellent goals against Villarreal.
In doing so, he added another record to his rapidly growing collection. You just know there will be many more match-balls heading home with Yamal in the future.
Yamal admitted afterwards that he’s put his injury problems behind him and is now playing with a smile on his face again. That’s seriously bad news for Barcelona’s rivals but will be music to Hansi Flick’s ears as we head towards the business end of the campaign.
Meanwhile, Flick simply wants a repeat performance from the teenager in midweek in the Copa del Rey against Atletico.
“His level is fantastic, and I want to see him at this level again on Tuesday,” he told reporters afterwards.
“We pressed Villarreal well, winning head-to-head duels. The keys to today’s match were pressing well and quickly. It was a great performance.”
Home record offers hope ahead of Atletico
We all know that Barcelona face a mammoth task next time out against Atletico, having lost the first leg of their semi-final 4-0, but there are a few glimmers of hope to get us culers excited for the Catalans ahead of the game.
Not least is their incredible home record so far this season. Flick’s side have been absolutely perfect at home, winning 13 of 13 in La Liga, scoring 41 times and conceding just six. Interestingly, Atletico have won only three away from home in the league in 2025-26.
“We know it won’t be easy to come back against Atlético, but we’ll fight. We’ll see what happens on Tuesday,” said Flick afterwards.
Yamal had a similar message, telling supporters: “It was time to react and push. We are doing it. Now let me tell our fans… …come to the stadium against Atléti, the magic can happen.”
A magical performance is certainly what will be needed and the ingredients are certainly there. The home record, Yamal fresh off a hat-trick, Pedri fit and ready to start and the opportunity to write another incredible chapter in the club’s history.
Yet it’s probably Yamal who has said it best, posting on Instagram after the match: “1% chance, 99% faith.”
